#beth’s dc spoon

[frangipanilove]

"Home" is North o’clock

Through this entire first season on TWDDD we’ve seen Daryl on a mission to find a way to get back home. He’s been desperately searching for a functioning radio in every episode, and has managed to stay laser focused on traveling north, to find a way home. Despite constantly getting sidetracked along the way, he’s now nearing Le Havre, where the people of Union of Hope have promised to help him find a ship to America.

In TWDDD 1x5 Deux Amours we see Daryl, Laurent and Azlan make their way up the river, heading north, to The Nest. We get to know Azlan, whose story involves a tragic loss which took away his reason to live.

We also heard how a clock represented a turning point for him. It saved his life, he explains, and gave him a purpose to live. I took one look at that clock and realized it was the French equivalent to Beth’s DC spoon from 4x12 Still.

I’ve written a lot about the intersection between Sirius symbolism and North Star symbolism (here and here), and once again, in TWDDD Deux Amours, we see a representation of how “north” represents “home”.

In TWD season 5 we saw it explained by Carl to Judith; that if you’re lost at night, just find the North Star, it’s at the end of the Little Dipper:

Of course we all remember Beth picking up the DC spoon/Little Dipper in Still…

Daryls entire time in France has revolved around traveling north, to the place called The Nest, where he’ll deliver Laurent and get a ticket to a trans-Atlantic cruise in return.

When Azlan dies he gives the clock to Daryl, tells him to follow the river north, until they arrive at the place depicted on the clock, The Nest (which in reality is Mont Saint Michel). When Genet’s people catch up to Daryl and Laurent, Daryl gives the clock to Laurent and instructs him to follow the river until he sees The Nest.

So the navigational themes are strong around both the clock and Beth’s DC spoon. The DC spoon for obvious reasons; the North Star is at the end of the Little Dipper, as Carl explained. The North Star will help you find your way, it’s a compass in the sky.

Azlan’s clock on the other hand, is pretty much a regular compass, in that clocks can be used as compasses. I’m not making that up, a clock can be used as a compass. That is an actual thing that people do.

Basically, what we’re seeing here is that Azlan’s clock is synonymous with Beth’s DC spoon.

And remember how all of Daryl’s efforts of getting to the north involves constantly searching for functioning radios? He’s been talking about radios non stop since he washed ashore in Marseille.

Well, in 1x5 we finally saw him get a hold of a radio. It was in a flashback from right before he was taken aboard the French Research Vessel of Horror, where we also saw a character randomly named Grady!?!???

Totally side-eying that, particularly because we also met another dude named Juno, which @wdway brilliantly recognized as a reference to the Alaska state capital Juneau! Which, again, ties right into the north symbolism because of this license plate from 5x16 Conquer:

That’s the Big Dipper and Polaris (North Star) there on the Alaska state flag!

And remember how I in this post from last week talked about how tptb sometimes uses silly word plays as symbolism? Words and phrases that phonetically sound similar? Like serious/Sirius, beer/bear, Monet/money and the classic Del Arno Foods/"there are no foods"… (which was interestingly also taken from 5x16 Conquer, where we saw the Wolves luring walkers into trailer trucks, in a perfect parallel to what we saw in Daryl’s flashback from Maine,..)

Yeah, speaking of phonetical similarities...

In TWD 10x17 Home Sweet Home we heard Beth's name for the first time in a very long time...

Maggie has no reason to believe that Beth isn't dead so I wouldnt worry about that part. What's interesting is what she's calling her sister; Bethie!

If I was ever instructed to find a name that phonetically sounds like Bethie...

...Bessy sure as hell would be among my top contenders...

Bessy, as in the name the radio operator has assigned to his radio...

I have talked about how radios are Sirius symbolism, right? (that's a rhetorical question, I have talked about it ad nauseum)

And I think I have explained that Sirius means "return/resurrection/coming back" a couple of times as well...

Bessie the Radio sure seems to be well tuned into the symbolism around "returns" and people "coming back"...

You’re free to do with that as you please...👀

[emsee22]

The Real Meaning of the DC Spoon from Still

In Still, Beth picked up the DC Spoon which we thought meant she was going to go with the rest of the group to DC. After her death, articles were published claiming that the DC spoon foreshadowed that she was the only member of the group that was not going to know about DC. However, DC was more an Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita thing, and the only other people involved were Glenn, Maggie, and Tara because of the deal Glenn made with Abraham back in the church. Well, for me, there is too much resurrection symbolism around Beth for the spoon to truly signify her death, AND Rick, Sasha, Carol, Daryl, Carl, Tyrese, Michonne, Gabriel nor Morgan headed to DC. Here's what I think the DC spoon signified:

The cure.

The Washington DC storyline was about the cure. But Eugene was a poison (he lied), he was not the cure. There are theories about Beth having been bitten and that Grady was looking for a cure, stemming from the walker the direction focused on with blood on his mouth outside the funeral home, to the guinea pig symbolism, etc.

I think Beth really is going to be associated with the real cure. They have been building up to it, with Laurent in Daryl Dixon, and with Alicia in Fear The Walking Dead. But if they brought a real cure up in season 5, the show would have become all about that.

Sometimes I think the show writes lines that are not only about the story but messages to the audience. Remember how Bob was viewed as a Bet proxy? When he was dying, he dropped a Beth line about there still being good in the world and staying who you are. Then Sasha asked him why he didn't tell her that he was bit and he said "because then it would have become all about the end, and I was really enjoying the middle." If the show brought up a real cure, for the audience, it would have become about the show ending, when they had so much more story to tell.

Beth will come back, and she is coming back with a cure.

[s-d23]

DD episode 5

Another parallel/ call back that I haven't seen mentioned so far is Azlan's watch has the engraving of The Nest and when Beth picked up the spoon it was engraved with the picture of Washington DC. As of right now and what we have been shown neither have made it to those destinations. Then of course the pocket watch reminds me of Hershels.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Dead City 1x01: Old Acquaintances and 1x02: Who's There?

So, I didn't do a post about the first episode of Dead City last week. (Can I just point out that the abbreviation for Dead City is D.C.? As in, Beth's D.C. spoon?)

The pilot episode was fine, but it was setting up the story, and we didn't see a ton of symbolism or Beth callbacks in it. Episode 2 this week was a different story.

Here is just a little bit of discussion about ep 1:

@wdway:

I finished that Dead City a little while ago. It's the pilot episode, some interesting things but they're just laying the groundwork, trying to get the story started which is very much expected. I just want to mention two things .

One is about Herschel. We knew that this is supposed to be a few years after the take down of CW. I'm just questioning tptb thinking in choosing their young actors for whatever age they're supposed to be, they change so rapidly that it would make more sense to me to have kept the original Herschel because the new replacement is obviously a few years older and yet, I swear by the end of the sixth episode he'll look like he's ready to be married with children, haha.

Okay, maybe not quite that bad but I'm just looking at this young man thinking he is going to age up real quick. They've already basically said that they'll be other seasons, that this is just the first, so obviously Herschel will be aging rapidly and I don't know if it will match the timeline going forward.

First there was the all the empty chairs in s11 then we had the green empty chair in Fear. In dead City near the start of it we see Negan with a motorcycle on one side of him and this empty chair on the other. Coincidence I'm sure. That empty chair nor that motorcycle doesn't has anything to do with the plot of the episode, so I'm not giving anything away, but it's a visual that I suspect Gimple had something to do with it.

@galadrieljones

A character named Ginny?

They called Virginia “Ginny” in Fear, I think!

@wdway

Morgan, I believe called his wife Jenny, with a J, but still.

@galadrieljones

Yeah I always thought that Virginia/Ginny/Jenny was meant for Morgan. Like he was being haunted.

I am looking at the caption under Negan though in that picture. Who’s he talking to? Is there someone named Ginny in DC?

Also idk why they keep casting weirdly old characters in TWDU. It’s not typical for them and I’m wondering if maybe there was some new rule or by-law passed by SAG or something to do with child actors and they can’t cast anyone under the age of like 13, or they can but it’s a major pain so they’re just asking us to suspend our disbelief.

@wdway

You'll find out who Ginny is pretty quickly. I won't go into it, not that it would spoil anything, but I think we'll see more of her going forward. She doesn't appeared to have a big purpose, which tells me that her character must have a purpose going forward.

Discussion on Episode 2: Who's There?

@wdway

I enjoyed the episode. There are things they're holding back to lead us along, I hope this isn't too big of a spoiler, but we don't find out about Annie or the baby. I think we probably won't for a while.

@twdmusicboxmystery

Just finished watching DC. I actually really liked this episode (minus all the intestine-spillage). I thought there were quite a few Beth callbacks in it. My favorite line? Maggie spun some yarn about "Canada and a shipwreck." 😱

@wdway

When Maggie mentioned Canada, I immediately thought of Tales. That he was headed to Canada. Of course, the shipwrecked parts stood out because well you know...

You guys know how bad I am with names so just excuse me. The girl that was originally with Negan who is being watched over by the group (I guess Maggie's group) while Maggie and Negan are away, they brought her to what is the kids’ school and was introduced by saying that she was from Oceanside. I'm wondering where this group of people, this community that Maggie and Herschel have been with is located.

@twdmusicboxmystery

Yeah, I don't know. Obviously, she isn't gonna just stay put and wait for Negan, so it will be interesting to see what her storyline is. When she left in the night, she went over to a bike. That's all we saw, but still. Bicycle symbolism.

Negan told a story about a girl "holed up in a car." He said she was "just a kid." Sounds like she was tortured and killed by the Croat eventually, but still. Negan then talked about having "one shot" and "missing." He was talking about the bad guy, rather than the girl, but they were all related, and it felt like a Beth parallel to me.

Then there was the part when the Marshal went into that apartment. I got such heavy WHAWGO vibes. There was the picture of the two brothers.

They weren't twins, but they were situated spatially in the photo the same way Noah's twin brothers were, and the way Robert Patrick's character and his twin brother were. Finding the dead guy, one of the brothers, in there felt similar to finding Noah's brothers.

And then there was the rosary he laid over him. We did see one of those with Carol at the end of S6, but Beth wore the original around her wrist at Grady. Oh, and the Marshal covered him with a blanket, much like Bethyl did to the Rich Bitch walker, and like Daryl almost did for Len, before changing his mind.

Even Maggie and Negan being imprisoned in the bathroom jumped out at me. I've harped on bathrooms since S4 when Rick escaped the Claimer house through the bathroom, and the walker that came after Carl in the pudding house (the one he shot in the forehead in the EXACT place Beth was shot) came out of the bathroom.

I also thought of The Same Boat. That wasn't a bathroom per se, but it was filmed on the same set as Saw, which featured a gross bathroom, toilet and all, and had a man who was presumed dead suddenly stand up and reveal himself to be alive at the end.

That may be all I have for now. I didn't really take notes, so I'm doing this from memory.

Negan had some funny lines. I loved his "how about everyone just untwist their undies." They featured it on the after-the-episode part, so I heard it twice, and laughed both times.

I also thought the flashback between Maggie and Hershel was super interesting. Not sure where they're going with that, but I look forward to learning more.

What do you think the purpose was of Maggie not making it all the way across the chasm? That seemed too purposeful to not foreshadow something, but nothing really came of it here. Just had me wondering.

@wdway

It's hard to tell right now because they're just lying and foundation for the series, I did appreciate the description of the three (3) separate groups. I didn't take notes either, but I was so glad the showrunner/writer explained what was going on.

When Negan was talking about the girl in the car, I immediately thought of Beth. Not that I thought he was talking about Beth, but I felt that that was purposely put in to give a nod to us. I don't know that there will be any clues that would lead to anything about Beth in this spinoff, but I do think that they will sprinkle reminders throughout.

I have the same feelings as you did when I saw the bathroom, that it was a reminder of Same Boat.

That scene where Maggie was somewhat freezing up as the Walkers were coming at her and she was so hesitant to use the zip line, then got hung up. It did seem kind of purposeful and I was trying to wreck my brain to whether or not we had known she has a fear of heights, kind of like Carol in the caves in s10 with it being a reminder that Carol was claustrophobic, but I couldn't remember anything from Maggie's past. It might be something in recent years (in the show) that we will find out later about.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

I was getting some screenshots for it. That always reveals new things to me because I'm watching more closely, instead of casually. It's nothing super groundbreaking, but I saw some interesting things, and a few insights on what we've already discussed.

First, the thing where Maggie didn't make it across on the zip line. Rewatching that part, I realized that the physics reason for why that happened is because she hesitated. She was clearly frightened of the distance down, and didn't want to just go for it. Her foot literally slips off the box, so she doesn't get the same momentum Negan and the first lady did. That's why she didn't make it to the other side. I still think that's a foreshadow, tho. Maggie being hesitant rather than going for it, and something goes wrong or something bad happens because of it.

The scene with the marshal we compared to WHAWGO? Watching it a second time, I realized it doesn't explain why he went there or how he knew to go there. He went looking for a gun, but it was gone. All he found was the box the gun used to be in. But how would he know it was there?

I think it's obvious he had been there before and knew the man who's body he found. That's probably why he covered him up: because he knew him. I'm wondering now if he, the marshal, is the second brother in the pictures. If so, that means he left his brother behind at some point. Between that, covering him up, and laying the rosary over him, it's an even more potent parallel to Beth.

Also, in that scene, he sees the corpse of his brother first in a mirror. I didn't catch that at first. So, it's a mirror image and then he turns and goes into the brother's room. Just kind of interesting.

And then about the girl--Ginny right?--who was with Negan? Something is bothering her about the water barrel. It's at Maggie's community, and like 3 different times she stops and stares at it, including at the end just before she steals the bike to leave. No idea what it means, but the fact that it's a water thing caught my attention. That's all. ;D

What did everyone else think about DC ep 2?

[quoththemaven]

2022′s Favoritest Tunes

My tops = Titus Andronicus’s The Will to Live as my favorite modern anthem kings reign again. 

Other favorites:

Bartees Strange’s Farm to Table

Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE

Big Thief’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

Black Country, New Road’s Ants From Up There

Ibibio Sound Machine’s Electricity

Nilüfer Yanya’s Painless

Porridge Radio’s Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky

Sharon Van Etten’s We’ve Been Going About this All Wrong

The Smile’s A Light for Attracting Attention

Best of the Rest

Alex G’s God Save the Animals

Arcade Fire’s WE

black midi’s Hellfire

Cloud Cult’s Metamorphosis

Destroyer’s LABYRINTHITIS

Jack White’s Fear of the Dawn

Just Mustard’s Heart Under

Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Let’s Eat Grandma’s Two Ribbons

Mitski’s Laurel Hell

PUP’s THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND

Special Interest’s Endure

Spiritualized’s Everything was Beautiful

Spoon’s Lucifer on the Sofa

Tegan and Sara’s Crybaby

Wet Leg’s S/T

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Cool it Down

Honorably Mentioned

Alt-J’s The Dream

Alvvays’ Blue Rev

Angel Olsen’s Big Time

Animal Collective’s Time Skiffs

Beach House’s Once Twice Melody

Beak>’s Kosmic Musik

Belle & Sebastian’s A Bit of Previous

Björk’s Fossora

Cate Le Bon’s Pompeii

Dry Cleaning’s Stumpwork

Fontaines DC’s Skinty Fia

Horsegirls’ Versions of Modern Performance

Hot Chip’s Freakout/Release

Jack White’s Entering Heaven Alive

Lizzo’s Special

Nova Twins’ Supernova

Phoenix’s Alpha Zulu

Pusha T’s It’s Almost Dry

Sault’s Air

The Beths’ Expert in a Dying Field

Weyes Blood's And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

[angelthefirst1]

Meridian radio tower in Paris

So @frangipanilove recently did a post here about the Aurora borealis being a map to Beth's return as it combines the coming home north star symbolism with Sirus symbolism, and it's well worth a read.

In the past she has also explained how Beth's Washington DC spoon is symbolically the same as the little dipper because...it's a little dipper to be frank, and the coming home north star is in the little dipper.

The Aurora post highlights that Aurora means Dawn which is when Sirius reappears.

And her last post on backpacks made me think of a few other connections, I want to get down...

@frangipanilove I hope you don't mind me adding your material in this but I'm hoping you get a kick out of it too. It was this section in particular from your post that made me reblog my comments below it.

I also want to add to this 👇 that the eiffel tower is a radio tower...

How fun...

Daryl is heading north.

Could it be the Sirius/north star/return/maps/compass symbolism for Beth and Daryl point to the largest radio tower in the city of Love? ❤️ 😍 💖

That would be amazing.

I wanted to add this all together, and see your thoughts?

☺️

[cno-inbminor]

self-indulgent akaashi comin’ through -- we love escapism!!! and also we were talking about love languages in the dc server, so that fueled this too.

summary: keiji likes doing things with and for you. it’s as simple as that. (little women spoilers? and unedited, sorry)

genre: fluff. that’s it, just spoons of fluff. 

wc: ~1.2k

it isn’t uncommon to be awakened by keiji’s touch, be it a kiss on the cheek or a squeeze around your waist. when your eyes creak open, your first sight is either the gentle smile on your fiance’s face or the bedroom wall, but the common factor is usually the sunlight that streams through the window. 

this time, you feel keiji laying soft kisses on your neck and shoulder blades. you hum in pleasure but feel confusion as the room is still swamped in darkness. rays of moonlight peak through the curtains and you wonder -- “what time is it?”

“it’s early,” keiji murmurs into your skin. “sorry to wake you love, but we should get up. you can sleep in the car.”

“where are we going?” you slur before stretching to the fullest, then collapsing back against the sheets. keiji’s already changing, albeit into a soft, navy long-sleeve and dark grey sweatpants. wherever you’re going at this ungodly time clearly doesn’t have a dress code. you’ve only managed to sit upright and rub your eyes when keiji kneels in front of you with your own clothes. his fingers are cold when they slide under your sleep camisole, making you shiver as he lifts the clothing over your head and sliding on one of your large, soft sweaters. you try to help out by sliding your shorts from underneath you, finally standing on the ground to shimmy your way into a pair of leggings that he got you last christmas. the possibility of bad morning breath doesn’t stop him from kissing you tenderly before leading you to the bathroom.

you must’ve blacked out for the next ten minutes because you’re suddenly in the passenger seat, watching keiji buckle you in and then himself. he places an arm on your seat as he backs out of his parking spot, looking over his shoulder even though there was a slim possibility of anyone else being around at -- now looking at the clock on the car -- roughly 4 in the morning. he maneuvers the steering wheel back around with the palm of his hand, laying his other on your thigh. your eyes still feel bleary as they fixate on the thumb rubbing back and forth.

“so where are we going?”

“it’s a surprise. you can go back to sleep, i can still you’re still trying to stay awake.”

“don’t wanna make you drive a whole ton without me to keep you company,” you try to argue over a yawn. keiji nearly coos at the sight of you covering your mouth with a sweater paw, his heart fluttering at the reminder that he’s going to marry you eventually. 

“it’s okay love, really. i’ll wake you up when we’re there.”

about an hour and a half later, you feel the car slowing down, tires trembling over loose rocks and concrete. keiji pulls in and shifts the gear into park, turning off the engine and looking over at you. “good morning, beautiful,” he greets and attempts to smooth down some of your mussed strands. you crinkle your nose before leaning over the console to give him a quick peck on the lips. 

being the gentleman that he is, keiji rushes out of his side so he can open the door for you, holding out a hand for you to take as you step out. he doesn’t relinquish his hold on his way to the trunk, popping it open for you to see the necessary items. he only lets you carry once tote bag while he gets the other two, and it’s only when he shuts the lid that you finally take a look at your surroundings. 

“oh.”

the look of awe and wonder on your face is everything to him. he tugs slightly on your joined digits in the direction of pale beige granules, eyeing you as you take in scattered clouds in the distance. the breeze begins to pick up and you’re glad that keiji had the foresight to stuff you in your current sweater. it’s not deathly cold, just a slight chill if anything that will warm up as time goes by. your sandals sink into the earth, but it holds your weight as keiji finds a good viewing spot. from one tote, he unveils a large grey towel and lays it on top of the sand. he slips off his sandals and you follow suit, but as he sits down, you’re unsure of where to sit. the towel isn’t quite wide enough to sit side-by-side -- but keiji has his legs spread and a hand patting the area between them. you understand immediately what he wants you to do.

keiji’s body is warm, inviting, and protective as you lean against his chest. in turn, he presses against your back and weaves his arms around above your chest, chin resting on your left shoulder. the both of you are comfortable and finally ready to appreciate everything before you.

“you’ve always said you wanted to see the sunrise by the ocean,” he quips into your ear. you can’t help but turn your head to give him a kiss of gratitude on the cheek, nuzzling back into his chest and holding onto his crossed forearms. “especially when it’s not too hot, not too cold, and when there are still a lot of clouds.”

“we’re finally having our jo and beth moment,” you chuckle. rays of honey and fire begin to illuminate the sky, prying through the gray and cotton wisps. the sound of the crashing ocean waves become your lullaby as keiji returns your kiss.

“except you’re not dying and we’re not siblings,” he points out teasingly and laughter bubbles in your chest. 

“does that mean you’ll read me things you’ve written?”

“if you’d like.”

“i like it when you read to me.”

“your wish is my command,” he replies semi-dramatically, reaching over to the nearest tote with an arm and fishes around. a few seconds later, he pulls out the black leather journal that you gifted him for his birthday, his initials imprinted on the front. you hold your hands in a v-shape to serve as a temporary easel when he flips through the pages, locating a good starting point. your eyes fixate on mother nature before you, and you let keiji paint images with his words. 

sunrises and sunsets are quick, fleeting. they are most beautiful at their first and last breaths, and having keiji read his own works to you, ones that he still feels insecure about publishing and only shares with you, makes the moment all the more intimate and special. you wish there was a way to stop time and immortalize this memory, but alas, humans cannot be allowed such selfishness. 

even when keiji stops reading and removes the journal from your hands, you stay quiet. he also spends this time to bask in how perfect everything feels now.

“are you really marrying me?” keiji whispers into your ear after a few minutes of comfortable silence. 

“if you’ll have me,” you sing back softly, twisting to meet his gaze. they drink you in with softness and pure, unadulterated admiration, and you wonder what you did in your previous life to have such a man in this one. 

his response is everything to you, and you absolutely can’t wait to spend the rest of your years with him.

“always.”

[bethgreeneishopeunseen]

Hey, I went on Beth’s wiki page and I saw something surprising: If you go to the season nine section, it says she’ll appear on Sunday. The spoilers don’t mention her returning so do you think it’ll be just a hallucination? Like Tyreese’s? Do you think this is connected to her being shown in the trailer? It would be buck wild if she actually returned, especially considering the apparent 5-6 year time jump slated to happen between 9x05-9x06 (not sure I believe that) (Part One)

Sorry I missed this before 9x05 aired. I would have figured that her return was in reference to the field of bodies and/or her voiceover. If T$DF actually received credible leaked information on Beth’s full return, they’d either really hype it up or not release the information at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if AMC made a deal with the site to prevent the Beth spoiler from leaking if/when she comes back. Overall though, I don’t think Beth’s return would be treated the same by the site as they heavily dislike her and her fans and tried to erase her from filming.

During season 5 filming T$DF posted reports of Emily being seen filming before and after Coda, which many veteran Beth fans remember. And these sightings did not coincide with what aired – Emily filmed a noticeably amount from late May into late September/early October and likely into mid-November (the season finale). After the midseason finale aired, these spoilers either disappeared or were changed, and the site completely shut-down conversations regarding these spoilers. For example, the site completely dismissed a particular Beth-heavy filming site. This was the white houses in Griffin, Georgia. During filming for 5x02, Lauren, Steven, and Alanna were photographed filming at two next-door houses in a suburban area. Emily was spotted entering one of the houses by over a dozen witnesses, and there’s a figure in one of the pictures who resembled season 5 Morgan. She was ushered into the house on the right, the one with stone columns and a light beside the front door. 

About a month after Coda, someone sent the site an ask about these houses. (This was also after Bethfoot had been documented at the Alexandria set during the season five finale.) The site said point blank that Beth wouldn’t be coming back (x). And of course she then appeared in 5x09, avoiding detection as the bedroom scenes were filmed in the studio. The site could have acknowledged the footage and Bethfoot because the show has done flashbacks and hallucinations. I don’t pay attention to any mention of a surprising character appearance because of this.

https://bethgreeneishopeunseen.tumblr.com/tagged/beth’s-safe-house

https://bethgreeneishopeunseen.tumblr.com/tagged/missing-season-5-spoilers

In regards to this “trivia”, unsourced information on wikis should be taken with a grain of salt. I’ve never seen TPTB confirm that interpretation, and that interpretation of the DC spoon has often been used by Beth-haters as an example of why she was fated to “die” even though most people who watched the scene took the opposite from it. Most people, including me, took it as foreshadowing that Beth would make it to the Capitol. In addition, I suspect people related to the T$DF are staff members. A while back I received an ask from a Beth fan who tried to edit Emily’s page (x). She was blocked by a staff member for “vandalism” even though she just added Emily’s comments about Beth not getting a funeral. Those comments were from a legitimate source too as they were quoted from Emily’s appearance on Stalking Dead with Kate Nash (x). 

[weapon13whitefang]

Thank you for the long response! Im always afraid of Team Defiance over reaching in their theories and I sometimes can't tell when it's gone too far. But I guess having every type of theory being covered is cool if it does end up happening they can always go back to read what was right or wrong. You definitely seem like you are trying not to overreach and the response was different and satisfying. Im aware not everything has to do about Beth but I just find it fun to try to figure out what is

There’s a reason I say I’m Team On The Fence. There’s a reason I point out my five and a half years of Theatre and Cinema Communication degree. I can NOT bring myself to look at all these symbolism and think they all go to Beth. Is it fun to see how you all connect them? Yes. In fact, some things I can sit back and fully agree with. But not everything connects to Beth. It just doesn’t… Beth - as much as I’m sorry to say - isn’t the focus of the show. She’s not the main theme for this show. She represents a lot of the themes, yes. But so did Rick and Tyreese and Noah and Glenn and we know they’re gone.

The thing about Beth… I don’t think her story is done yet. I do believe they could bring her back. But I’m not trying to pick apart every little scene and think “That’s it! That’s the proof she’s back and she’s coming”. It’s possible it’ll be a long time before Beth comes back. Hell it’s been, what, three-four years now in real time? And what, eight years TWD time? I know people go “oh but Beth had the DC spoon she’ll go look for them there”… Well why? Nothing in the past would indicate to her that her family went to DC. But I do think it will be a track for her to follow. And maybe her memory will be fuzzy and all she has is the spoon… But I don’t know that. Or maybe it’s like people think - the commonwealth / whoever the helicopter people are have reached all the way to Georgia and they’re goig to bring her to DC… I don’t kniow.

What I do know is that yeah, it is fun to see all these symbolisms - to reach out and see what they have in common with what we know and the interesting elements that seem… Way to on point to be a coincidents… So I stay Team Fence.

So I guess, yeah, I do tend to try not to overreach the boundary… But I will say that I can keep up with what you all are saying and what you believe and sometimes even I will fall down the rabbit hole and bring up all these theories and beliefs… I just can never quit stay on the TD side because to me it seems… Too delusional, I guess.

But just know that I agree that she could’ve survived that gun shot, I do see some of the weird trends around EK and stuff that does make me go “OH BETH!”, and I do think it’s very interesting that after all this time they’ve said her name and even acknowledge that she exists… So something smells fishy in Denmark! But yeah I can’t completely jump the TD fence lol.

But I’m glad you seem to have gotten some enjoyment out of my thoughts. I do believe looking at everyone’s story and the characters as a whole can lead you to some interesting TD theories and can even make you have a bit more faith in her return… It’s been enough for me, anyway ;)

[alystayr]

Playlist musicale 2017 (2/2)

Liste des chansons (playlist 2017 - part. 2)

Mise à jour : 31 décembre 2017

playlist 2019 (part. 1)

playlist 2018 (part. 2), playlist 2018 (part. 1)

playlist 2017 (part. 2), playlist 2017 (part. 1)

playlist 2016 (part. 2), playlist 2016 (part. 1)

playlist 2015

0-9 #

16 Horsepower - Haw (1996)

A

AC/DC - Hells Bells (1980)

The Allman Brothers Band - Midnight Rider (1970)

alt-J - In Cold Blood (2017)

Anaïs - J'ai retrouvé mon mojo (2017)

Angus & Julia Stone - Chateau (2017)

Arcade Fire - Everything Now (2017)

Archive - Lights (2006)

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? (2013)

Louis Armstrong - Christmas in New Orleans (1955)

Arno - Dance Like A Goose (2016)

Arthur H - La beauté de l'amour (2011)

Audioslave - Revelations (2006)

Asaf Avidan - My Old Pain (2017)

B

Band of Horses - The Funeral (2006)

Courtney Barnett - Lance Jr. (2013)

The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1967)

The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby (1966)

Beck - Girl (2005)

Benjamin Biolay - Volver (2017)

Birth Of Joy - Three Day Road (2014)

Björk - Violently Happy (1993)

Black Sabbath - Iron Man (1970)

The Blues Brothers (cover Robert Johnson) - Sweet Home Chicago (1980)

Blur - Girls and Boys (1994)

Bob & Earl - Harlem Shuffle (1963)

Georges Brassens - La mauvaise réputation (1952)

The Breeders - Divine Hammer (1993)

Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

C

Camille - Fontaine de lait (2017)

Jerry Cantrell - Bargain Basement Howard Hughes (2002)

Bertrand Cantat - Anthracitéor (2017)

Car Seat Headrest - Destroyed By Hippie Powers (2016)

Johnny Cash (cover Nick Cave) - The Mercy Seat (2000/1988)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Stagger Lee (1996)

Ray Charles - What'd I Say (1959)

Louis Chedid - T'as beau pas être beau (1978)

Chelsea Wolfe - Feral Love (2013)

Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse (2017)

The Clash - The Guns of Brixton (1979)

Benjamin Clementine - Phantom Of Aleppoville (2017)

CocoRosie - Child Bride (2013)

Leonard Cohen - Almost Like the Blues (2014)

Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry (2006)

Alice Cooper - Poison (1989)

Elvis Costello - Alison (1977)

The Cure - Boys Don't Cry (1979)

D

Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia (1980)

Deep Purple - Hush (1968)

Mac DeMarco - Salad Days (2014)

Depeche Mode - Going Backwards (2017)

Fatoumata Diawara - Bissa (2011)

Dire Straits - Your Latest Trick (1985)

Beth Ditto - Fire (2017)

The Do - Gonna Be Sick! (2011)

Fats Domino - Blueberry hill (1956)

The Doors - Ghost Song (1978)

Bob Dylan - Ballad Of a Thin Man (1965)

E

Eminem - The Real Slim Shady (2000)

Endless Boogie - Vibe Killer (2017)

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (1983)

F

Piers Faccini - Cloak Of Blue (2016)

Faith No More - The Last To Know (1995)

Mylène Farmer - C'est Une Belle Journée (2001)

Mylène Farmer - Désenchantée (1991)

Thomas Fersen - Encore Cassé (2017)

Thomas Fersen - Hyacinthe (2005)

Foals - Inhaler (2013)

Foo Fighters - Run (2017)

Forest Swords - Thor's Stone (2013)

Franz Ferdinand & Jane Birkin (cover Serge Gainsbourg) - A song for sorry angel (2006-1984) 

The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger (2006)

Future Islands - Ran (2017)

G

Liam Gallagher - Wall Of Glass (2017)

Richard Gibbs & Bear McCreary - Gayatri, Full Opening theme (from Battlestar Galactica) (2003)

Girls in Hawaii - Guinea Pig (2017)

Girls in Hawaii - Not Dead (2013)

Goldfrapp - Annabel (2013)

Jean-Jacques Goldman & Sirima - Là-bas (1987)

Gorillaz - Saturnz Barz (Spirit House) (2017)

Guns N' Roses - Civil War (1991)

H

Johnny Hallyday - Quelque chose de Tennessee (1985)

Johnny Halliday (cover The Animals) - Le pénitencier (1964)

Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals - Jah Work (1997)

George Harrison - Got My Mind Set On You (1987)

PJ Harvey - C'mon Billy (1995)

Heartless Bastards - Only For You (2012)

Jimi Hendrix - Freedom (1971)

Bernard Herrmann - Vertigo (from Sueurs froides - 1958)

Hoboken Division - Boilin Up (2017)

I

Idles - Well Done (2017)

Interpol - Obstacle 1 (2002)

Iron Maiden - Total Eclipse (1982)

Izia - Let me alone (2009)

J

Jack the Ripper -  White men in black (2005)

Michael Jackson - Thriller (1984)

Mick Jagger - Gotta Get A Grip (2017)

Jay-Z - The Story of O.J. (2017)

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Happy When It Rains (1987)

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I love Rock n roll (1981)

Elton John - Nikita (1985)

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart (1980)

Juliette - Nour (2013)

K

Karpatt - Encombrants (2016)

The Kills - Impossible Tracks (2016)

L

Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE. (2017)

Lamb - Wise Enough (2011)

Mark Lanegan - Nocturne (2017)

The Last Shadow Puppets (cover Jacques Dutronc) - Les Cactus (2016/1967)

Last Train - Way Out (2016)

Bernard Lavilliers - Croisières méditerranéennes (2017)

Maxime Le Forestier - Né Quelque Part (1988)

The Libertines - Don't Look Back Into The Sun (2003)

Linkin Park - Lying From You (2003)

M

Madrugada - Salt (1999)

Mano Negra - Mala Vida (1988)

Mano Solo - Pas du gâteau (1993)

Manu - La dernière étoile (2015)

Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People (1996)

Bob Marley - Burnin and Lootin (1973)

Mickey 3d - Respire (2003)

Moby - Natural Blues (1999)

Moonchild - The Truth (2015)

Morrissey - Spent the Day in Bed (2017)

Motörhead - Ace Of Spades (1980)

Muse - Dig Down (2017)

N

Nena ‎- 99 Luftballons (1983)

Nico Vega - Beast (2006)

Nine Inch Nails – Less Than (2017)

Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box (1993)

Noir Désir - L'Appartement (2001)

O

The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (2008)

Les Ogres de Barback - Condkoï (2012)

P

Pearl Jam - Even Flow (1991)

Tom Petty - Free Fallin’ (1989)

Tom Petty - Learning To Fly (1991)

Pixies - Debaser (1989)

Placebo - Lady of the Flowers (1996)

Placebo (cover Talk Talk) - Life's What You Make It (2017-1985)

Prince - Batdance (1989)

Public Image Limited - This Is Not A Love Song (1983)

Q

Queens of the Stone Age - The Way You Used to Do (2017)

R

The Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely (2008)

Radiohead - I Promise (1997/2017)

Rage Against The Machine - Freedom (1992)

Raphael - Caravane (2005)

Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby (1976)

R.E.M. - Accelerate (2007)

The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (1965)

Royal Blood – Lights Out (2017)

Olivia Ruiz - Dis-moi ton secret (2016)

S

Saez - Premier mai (2017)

Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The UK (1976)

Shaka Ponk - Gung Ho (2017)

Del Shannon - Runaway (1961)

Emilie Simon - Désert (2003)

Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al (1986)

Nina Simone - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (1964)

Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon (1964)

Frank Sinatra - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (1950)

Skunk Anansie - I Believed In You (2012)

The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock (1993)

The Smiths - This Charming Man (1983)

Soan - Celui qui aboie (2017)

Alain Souchon - J'ai dix ans (1974)

Speedy Ortiz - Tiger Tank (2013)

Spoon - Inside Out (2014)

Vince Staples - Norf Norf (2015)

Stereophonics - Taken A Tumble (2017)

The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog (1969)

The Stranglers - Golden Brown (1981)

The Strokes - Machu Picchu (2011)

System Of A Down - Aerials (2001)

T

Talking Heads - Burning down the house (1983)

Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backwards (2012)

Téléphone - Le jour s'est levé (1984)

Television - Marquee Moon (1977)

Têtes Raides - Qu'est-ce qu'on s'fait chier (2003)

Texas - Can't Control (2017)

Thee Oh Sees - Toe Cutter / Thumb Buster (2013)

Hubert Félix Thiéfaine - Les Dingues et les Paumés (1982)

Timber Timbre - Sincerely, Future Pollution (2017)

U

U2 - The Blackout (2017)

V

The Velvet Underground - After Hours (1969)

Veruca Salt - Seether (1994)

W

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (2006)

Wolf Alice - Yuk Foo (2017)

Woodkid - I Love You (2013)

Wovenhand - Obdurate Obscura (2014)

Shannon Wright - Defy This Love (2007)

X-Y

Z

Zazie - Larsen (1995)

[frangipanilove]

"Hope is the North Star, Let it Guide You" ...to Green(e)land?

More on the North/bear/Arctic symbolism

So, the first non-spoiler reviews are out, and a couple of things REALLY stood out to me. This might be nothing, but it could be something, and I thought it was worth mentioning. Take it with a grain of salt because after all, it is wild speculation over scenes we haven’t seen yet.

According to this article from gamesradar.com, Carol and Ash will make a “bizarre” stopover in Greenland on their way to Europe. That tickled my TD brain immensely, because Greenland is another one of those references I’ve just been patiently waiting for for years:

Greenland is a large island located in the North Atlantic. It is autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and most of it lies above the Arctic Circle. The capital city is Nuuk, formerly known by it’s Danish name Godthåb, which literally translates to “good hope”:

I’ve been writing about the North Star symbolism in many posts over the years. The TLDR of it is that it all ties into Beth through the DC spoon from 4x12 Still, the theory is that the spoon (literally a Little Dipper) is a metaphor for the Little Dipper, which is the star constellation where we find the North Star/Polaris, foreshadowing Beth reuniting with TF, and returning “home”. Keep in mind that the Latin names of the Big and Little Dipper are Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the Greater and Lesser Bear. I’ll get back to it shortly.

At the crux of the North Star symbolism is finding “true north” a well known metaphor for finding your true direction in life, including finding true love.

We also saw this symbolism in full display in 7x2 The Well, when Carol was wheeled around in a wheelchair at the Kingdom, while a quote on the wall about the North Star featured prominently in the shot: “Hope is the North Star, Let it Guide You”.

The quote with the North Star reference foreshadowed Carol finding her “true north” at the Kingdom. She found love with Ezekiel, and perhaps more importantly, she found a son in Henry. She found her true purpose in life.

In TWDU, the North Star is symbolically synonymous with “home”, as in “home is where the heart is”, “home” is where your loved ones are. We saw Carl define the meaning of the North Star symbolism back in season 5: “If you get lost at night, find that star”.

The North Star will guide you home, it will reunite you with your family. It symbolizes "home", "family" and "reunion".

“Home” is where you belong. It’s a mental state, more than a geographical location, but in TWDU the symbolism is often represented by various expressions of “northern” stuff and thangs like snow, ice, polar bears, Alaska license plates etc.

I’ll quickly go through the main points of my hypothesis, because I’ve written so much about it in other posts. Just search for North Star on my blog and about a million posts should come up.

In 4x12 Still, we saw Beth pick up what has become known as the "DC spoon", literally a little dipper. We later realized it was symbolically synonymous with the Little Dipper, the constellation where the North Star is.

We know that “bear” symbolism on the show ties into the North Star symbolism because the Little Dipper, the constellation where we find the North Star/Polaris, is called Ursa Minor in Latin, which means Lesser Bear. So "bear" symbolism is synonymous with North Star symbolism, which, as mentioned above, means “home”.

We’ve seen other references to this symbolism through the various exemples of “north” symbolism on the show, such as the Alaska license plate in 5x16 Conquer, where you can see the Alaska state flag with the Big Dipper and North Star/Polaris:

Remember how one of the guys at the car shop that Carol ran into in TWDDD 1x6 was called Juno, a play on the name of the Alaska state capital Juneau. The other guy was conveniently called Grady... the symbolism of which should be self-explanatory…

In FTWD 6x3 Alaska, we follow Dwight and Althea on their quest of finding driver’s licenses from all 50 states, where Alaska and Hawaii proved to be the most difficult ones to find. And yet, in 6x3 they found an Alaska driver’s license. Dwight insisted it was a “good omen”.

Dwight was reunited with Sherri later that episode, the love of his life, his “true north”:

Seems like the North Star symbolism indeed is a good omen.

Alaska is obviously the northernmost state in the US, and is therefore a perfectly valid “north” reference in its own right, but in addition to that, and perhaps more interestingly, Alaska is (like Greenland), partly in the Arctic, meaning large parts of their territoty lies within the Arctic Circle.

And anyone familiar with my writing knows how much I love to explore the symbolism in TWDU from an etymological point of view, which rarely disappoints:

Yup, the word “Arctic” comes from Greek “arktos”, which means “bear”, and in this case it specifically refers to the bears in the sky, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the constellations otherwise known as the Big and Little Dipper, the same bears that Beth’s Little Dipper/DC spoon is a reference to.

And now that I’ve mentioned that, let’s check out the coat of arms of Greenland:

Further, the “north” symbolism ties into the symbolism we see around navigation and compasses. The whole point with navigating with a compass is to determine which direction is north, and from there decide where you need to go. Like Carl explained, just find the North Star and it will guide you home.

Or, as mentioned in King Ezekiel’s quote from the Kingdom proclaimed; “hope is the North Star, let it guide you”.

Or, as we saw with Henry's compass rose t-shirt. It was a representation of that for Carol, her true north was with her family at the Kingdom:

In TWD season 11 we came to know the Commonwealth, and while it wasn’t without its fair share of drama, it eventually came to be a peaceful home for TF, many of which found love there, started families, and settled down. That was foreshadowed by this massive compass rose on the floor of the former train station:

On compasses, the red needle always points north, and it therefore ties into the "red" symbolism which I’ve written about here and here, where the hypothesis is that the color red represents "the living color", or resurrection if you will. It's the color of circulating blood, which is a prerequisite for life. And keep this in mind because I'll revisit it shortly.

In 5x13 Alone, a broken compass was seen in the other storyline, the one parallel with Beth and Daryl's. A subtle hint of what was to come for Daryl and Beth later that episode? Where north/North Star/compass symbolism represents home/reunion, a broken compass perhaps represents the opposite; separation?

In TWDDD 1x5 Deux Amours, we saw a clock that bore a striking resemblance to Beth’s DC spoon from 4x12 Still, and in my opinion, it was a blatant callback to Beth:

It had the same type of detailed engravings, and interestingly, where Beth’s spoon was a metaphor for the Little Dipper/North Star/Polaris, the ultimate tool for navigation, a clock is actually also a perfect metaphor for a compass, which obviously also is an excellent tool for navigation:

Because yes; clocks can be used as compasses. I wrote a post about it here, along with all the reasons why I believe the clock was a callback to Beth's DC spoon.

And what did we see in TWD 5x9 WHAWGO, the episode directly after Beth had been "killed"?

We saw a blanket with a pattern of polar bears dressed in red scarves, red as in "the living color", and a clock where the hands pointed towards the "5" and the "8" and the "10".

Everyone knows that TD has "perfected" (lol) the art of interpreting clocks to the extent that we could probably publish a 10 part encyclopedia on clocks alone. Let me just go on a brief tangent on how I interpret this particular one:

One hand points to the 10 minute mark. "10" can be interpreted as Roman numeral "X", which can also be interpreted as a cross, symbolizing "death" and "resurrection". Beth's death and resurrection.

One hand points to the 5 hour mark. In my opinion, we can plausibly interpret that as a nod to the season in question, season 5, when Beth "died"

Then finally, the red hand points to the episode when she "died", episode 8 of season 5, or 5x8 Coda. But the fact that the hand is red, "the living color", reveals a plot twist. Beth's not really dead. She will resurrect in due time.

And when is this mythical "due time" going to arrive?

Well, other clues, such as the blanket with polar bears dressed in red scarves behind the clock, suggests that when we start to see symbolism that revolves around polar bears, is when we should start to pay attention.

Basically everything I've written in this post is about this particular "family" of symbolism. The North Star symbolism, the bear symbolism of Ursa Major and Minor, the fact that "Arctic" means "bear", the fact that the coat of arms of Greenland is a polar bear, the fact that the potentially resurrecting person in question's last name is Greene, and now we finally get a reference to Greenland...

All of these things and many others suggest that now might be the time to start paying attention.

And now, according to the review from gamesradar.com, we’re getting a Greenland reference! It's just what the doctor ordered! And according to the reviewer, it’s a “bizarre” little stop-over, which suggests it makes little sense in terms of the plot, which is usually an indication that it’s mostly included for symbolism reasons.

So, what does it mean? Is Beth on Greenland?

Probably not, in fact I believe that's highly unlikely. I think the "bizarre" Green(e)land stopover is just a little symbolic "snack" for us TD symbolism hunters. I believe that the big reveal will happen probably in season 3, in Spain, which I've outlined the reasons for in other posts, such as this one.

But remember the tagline for the season, "to find home is to find each other". Certain factions of the fandom interpret this as to mean Carol and Daryl are each others “home”. And sure, in a way they are. They’re very close best friends, family, actually, as we over the past few months have learned, through the most un-ambiguous, fiercly insistent friend-zoning PR-campaign ever seen in the history of the universe.

And as I've described in this post, the North Star symbolism is about finding your way home.

But they’re not each others "true north". That Carol, on her way to finding Daryl, randomly touches down on Green(e)land, of all places, is a clue about what Daryl’s “true north” is. She's not touching down on Peletier-land, or Carriere-land (as in Isabelle Carriere). She's specifically touching down on Green(e)land.

[papipopsicle]

RENEGADE

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Henderson!Reader

Genre: fluff

Summary: In which the best friend of his enemy turns out to be the only person who can break the heart of Hawkins new resident bad-boy. Includes my OC's Cassidy Wright and Bethany Hart as Y/N's friends.

Song: Queen Of Broken Hearts by Blackbear

Warnings: swearing

Words: 1.5K

MASTERLIST

feedback is always appreciated

There were three fateful occasions in which Y/N and Billy would meet before even knowing each other's names. This was the first.

On a Saturday, the eldest Henderson sibling could be found in one of three places; helping Steve study in her room, simply hanging out with 'the party' wherever they wished to go, or at the Wright household gossiping with Cassidy and Beth by her side. The latter, unsurprisingly, was how the trio decided to spend their afternoon. It was the perfect location since her parents were on their fortnightly date night. They giggled, mocked and questioned until the sun had been covered by a navy blanket sprinkled with stars.

The afternoon had been perfect, home alone and able to do whatever without Mr and Mrs Wright interfering. Most of their time was spent discussing the blonde' s new neighbours; the couple had introduced themselves to Cassidy's parents earlier that day, quote-unquote seeming a little too upbeat after having to leave the golden state for somewhere like Indiana.

They were a blended family; the mother, Susan, had a young girl the same age as Dustin, with long unruly hair that matched her fiery personality perfectly. As for the father, Neil, well he had a son the same age as them. Cassidy hadn't seen his face yet, only a few quick glimpses of him through the safety of her blinds as he helped carry in boxes from the moving truck. She knew two things about the mystery boy; he had a mullet like nobody else in this small town, and, more importantly, he was the dictionary definition of jacked.

One ring to the landline had Bethany sprinting out the door, since Mrs Hart was a woman to be described as a helicopter parent and never had much trust in her daughter's two best friends. Y/N decided to stay an hour or so longer, knowing her mother didn't expect her to be home until midnight like most Saturdays. The girls tidied up all the mess they'd made that day, blaring AC/DC and Metallica as loud as possible from the speakers.

While Cassidy and Beth, and Y/N and Steve were closer to each other, the two girls singing and head-banging had bonded over liking the music their peers shunned them for.

The y/h/c girl reluctantly said goodbye to her friend and stepped out into the biting cold. Y/N was a little idiotic, wearing nothing but a black denim mini skirt, a flouncy white top and her signature leather jacket in late October. Her black converse hit the asphalt harshly, kicking loose stones a few feet each time she stepped towards her car. She contemplated just getting in and driving off, but after finding mouldy milk and having to clean up broken glass in her friend's kitchen, the seventeen year old needed a few minutes of peace and quiet.

With the radio quietly playing and the drivers window down, she leant against the door and pulled out a rectangular packet and a lighter from her jacket pocket. Y/N lit the menthol cigarette, elation bubbling through her after the first drag. While she hated the effects of smoking, the quick burst of pleasure kept her sane at moments like these. She was a giant hypocrite, always smooshing Steve's cigarettes whenever he lit one up in front of her.

Today was not Y/N's day though, because just moments later her tranquil state was shattered by the sound of a turbocharged V6 pulling up next door. She dropped her hand from her mouth, carefully blowing out a cloud of smoke while inspecting the scene in front of her.

The loud engine cut and the boy Cassidy had described got out of the car. Although it was almost pitch black, the amber hue of a nearby street light drew attention to the lightness of his long hair. She couldn't see the razor sharpness of his jawline or the way his oceanic eyes could pierce her soul; she was transfixed by something a little different.

He hadn't noticed her yet, the 'Quiet Riot' cassette luckily playing only loud enough for her to hear. Y/N couldn't tear her eyes away from his movements, or rather the way he treated his car. The boy didn't seem like the type to care about much in life; he probably had below average grades, spent a lot of time lifting weights instead of working and earning money, and thinks life revolves around how many girls he's had sex with or has been seen with.

That's the type of boy he was. She knew it because that's the kind of person Steve was before the events of last year; a pretty face with a pretty car looking for a pretty girl to lay.

He didn't seem like the kind of boy to care, which is why the way he treated his car with such care shocked her. Shock wasn't the right word, it stunned Y/N for a second but quickly reminded her of herself. He had parked it carefully, revving the engine up the road showboating like anyone would with a car like that. But as soon as he approached the driveway he was a completely different driver. Blondie, as she had decided to name him, didn't slam the door or the trunk, he locked his car carefully and was about to approach his porch, that's when he finally noticed her.

She'd taken a couple more drags of her cigarette while admiring him, now tucked between two fingers as he watched her with an almost quizzical expression.

"You planning on staring all night, doll?" He asked cooly, denim jacket thrown over his shoulder and all.

Y/N snorted for the first time in years as she shook her head trying not to let out a snicker, "It's just Hawkins doesn't get a lot of new residents, nobody's used to new faces around here unless it's a baby."

"Why don't you come a little closer then, get to know my face better?" He smirked devilishly in a way only he could pull off.

This time she really did snicker, "Gag me with a spoon, does that line really work? And why'd I move? I have good music."

The boy took a few steps forward, throwing his keys up in the air before catching them and standing at the end of Cassidy's drive. "Hmm? What's that I hear? Cyndi Lauper? Madonna? I'm good."

Y/N crossed her arms and looked at him in utter disgust, just for a moment, then leant through her open window and turned up the volume. Little did she know, the boy was treated to the sight of a ridden up skirt showing off her little black lace number. He smirked, she'd be easy to get wearing something like that.

'Cum on Feel the Noize' sounded through the silent road and his attention switched to the song. "My best friend doesn't like this kind of music, he's more of a Duran Duran kinda guy."

"Maybe you need new friends then, Peach." He paused, enjoying the way her crossed arms made her cleavage more prominent, "But a thing like you shouldn't be out so late, bad things happen when pretty girls stay out late."

Y/N raised her eyebrows at that, shoving off the side of her car to stand right in front of the mysterious mullet-boy. She took a drag from her cigarette, gently blowing it to the side before giving him a disapproving look, "What makes you think I can't handle myself? You may have been number one back in California, but here you don't say shit like that when they're unwanted unless you feel like getting smacked. Girls aren't objects, play and fool around all you want with girls who want it, but you aren't touching me. If you ever decide to have an attitude adjustment, maybe then we could actually be friends."

With one last pointed look, Y/N spun on her heel and went back to her car, getting in the drivers seat and starting the engine. She smirked, hearing a few rushed footsteps towards her.

The boy clasped his hands over the open window frame, leaning down to reach Y/N's level. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, "Wait, you aren't the Wright's girl?"

The Henderson girl turned to him, calculating his movements before speaking up in a much calmer tone than before, her smirk replaced with a genuine smile, "Meet me at the Hawk eight o'clock tomorrow night, you don't have to obviously, but you should if you wanna get to know my face better."

"You didn't answer my question." The boy copied her smile, finding himself entranced by the girl in front of him. She didn't shy away from him, or throw herself at him, saying they could be friends without any suggestive gestures or remarks. Girls had two reactions to Billy Hargrove; they either cowered in fear, or dropped their panties in lust. That was it, there was no third option. But somehow, this girl had created one, and it baffled him.

"No, their daughter's my best friend, and before you think about it, you really aren't her type. See you tomorrow, Stud."

Y/N rolled up her window, forcing the boy to move back from the car. He watched in wonder as she sped off down the street, finally walking back to his house once her cherry red car had turned the corner. Their nights went on as usual, but as soon as they were alone in their bedrooms, Y/N couldn't stop thinking about Cassidy's very attractive new neighbour, and Billy couldn't help but let his mind wonder to how good this hick town might just be for him.

PART TWO

taglist:

@ilkaeliseb @florenceivy​ @annas-unicorun @astro-sweetheart

[frangipanilove]

Yup, it’s almost impossible not to think of the DC spoon when you see the promo poster. My head canon is that Beth lives and thrives in the Capitol building.

Anyone else notice the backdrop for season 9’s key art is the Capitol building in Washington? Remember the last time we saw this? That’s right baby, on a spoon in the hands of Beth Greene!

I’m just gonna leave this here cause Beth Greene is alive and she’s coming back!!

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Connections to Golf Club Walker via @wdway

@wdway​: 

When I watched e23 it struck me and not for the first time that there might be a connection between Pamela and the Rich Bitch Walker Mannequin that we saw in Still. I couldn't get that off my mind so I decided to go check it out and into the rabbit hole I went.

Over the years we've talked a lot about the Rich Bitch and what her symbolism might mean. Her pearls are a sign of her wealth. The manner in which she's displayed shows us that there was violence and some type of an uprising against what she stood for. She's only half of what's left of a human body. The bottom half is from a mannequin, something plastic only shaped in the form of a human woman. 

When Still actually aired there was a lot of attention by tptb around the Country Club and this particular walker. We seem to keep coming back to this episode not only for the storyline between Beth and Daryl but for all the symbolism that this entire episode carries. When I revisited it, I was struck by the ties of so many things in the present s11 storyline, but more importantly other connections between Beth, Daryl, Rick and the CRM.

I'll start with Daryl and Beth entering Pine Vista Country Club. One of the first things they see are 3 people, 2 women and 1 man hanging from the ceiling. 

The center woman who is blonde is wearing pearls, the other woman is dressed in a green flowered top quite similar to what we had seen Alpha wear in s9e15 The Calm Before.

We quickly realize that there must have been some type of overtaking of the rich country club members by the working class employees.

The next thing that we see is Beth looking over a table setting and picking up a spoon that is engraved with an image of the capital building and the words “Washington DC.” 

I've talked in a different rabbit hole ramble about how I have come to believe that the word Washington DC actually referred to a retelling/a coda of the story of George Washington and the American Revolution, replaced with Rick Grimes and a Revolution against the CRM.

We are seeing a rebellion right now at the Commonwealth which we believe will lead to a much larger one in the future that will include Rick Grimes and because Beth is the one who picked up the spoon she will be a part of the Revolution.

We see Beth put the spoon in her left back pocket. She then looks up and sees Daryl stuffing money in jewels into a backpack. She questions why he is doing this. 

It struck me that we have seen something very similar at the Commonwealth a few episodes ago where Daryl and Rosita were placed in danger because of the greed of Sebastian who wanting to hoard money. At the end of that episode, Mercer offers a stack of money to Daryl and Rosita for the help that they had given in this very unsavory mission. We were left with the moral question of did they or did they not accept that money.

Daryl and Beth move on in the episode, going down into the belly of the beast you could say, to the Pro Shop of the golf club, where we find the Rich Bitch.

We see Daryl with the Rich Bitch first while Beth is busy changing. I want to note the red fire extinguisher in this shot with Daryl. It struck me that we have him here with the fire extinguisher and the Rich Bitch, and in the episode Family, we have him with a fire extinguisher and Pamela, the Commonwealth's Rich Bitch.

Beth delivers one of her more memorable lines in the scene when she asked Daryl to help her take the RB down because she believes in the dignity of the dead. Daryl says, "it doesn't matter, she's dead." Beth replies "it does matter." Daryl covers the RB. Again they made certain that we see the fire extinguisher during this exchange. 

I want to point out something that seemed unimportant until recently. On the counter are two round white objects with black letters, PV. I'm sure it's stands for Pine Vista which makes perfect sense in this episode. It's the name of the country club. But how can we ignore the fact that because of The World Beyond series we know that there they were experimenting with walkers in what was called Project Votu/PV.

In the country club, we see three fire extinguishers. Rule of 3. We see all three with Beth. The first was while she was going through the kitchen area. It is silver. The other two are red with a yellow tag. Daryl is seen with only the two red fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers are part of the water symbol which is a symbol for Beth. Even though technically there isn't water in the fire extinguishers, they are used to extinguish a fire, to control it. 

In Still, Beth is both a water symbol because of being around three fire extinguishers and she's a fire symbol because she is the fire starter. Starting a fire near the beginning of the episode and she strikes the match to burn the shack down at the end of the episode.

You probably are wondering where the tie is with Rick in all this. It comes back to the Rich Bitch. If a female walker with pearls=RB, then the tie is that we saw a RB walker in the last episode that we saw Rick in, s9e5 What Comes After. 

Technically we did not see Rick with the RB, but it all ties together with Anne/ Jadis who in WCA episode was going to use a female walker with pearls to bite Gabriel, but could not go through with it.

Anne/Jadis spared Gabriel but later we find that she took his name instead of taking his life.

It comes down to this episode where we have so many connections. We have Rick's hallucination of himself in a hospital bed that is so reminiscent of not only his first episode of the series waking up but also of Beth in Slabtown, waking up at Grady.

@galadrieljones:

Since my brain isn't in top shape right now, I'm blanking. Can you just clarify--what's the RB we see in 9.5?

@wdway:

In the shot above, FG is laying tied down on the ground on a black and white rug in the junkyard. Jadis has a walker on a moving dolly with a bucket over its head. She removes the bucket and it is a female walker with pearls=RB..

In re-watching the other night, I was struck by the pink on the white horse. Pink. One of many colors connected to Beth . I realize it's supposed to be blood from Rick, but if that's true, it really should be redder and not pink. 

I've always believed that the female on the white horse in the opening credits is not Michonne but Beth. 

Let's skip to the part that you had talked about the other day @twdmusicboxmystery​, of Rick on the bridge using his gun to shoot the red dynamite blowing it up. In this instance Rick shares the symbol of fire with Beth. When I went to get a shot of Rick shooting on the bridge, I saw something else that we probably have talked about before. It certainly has more meaning now. If in fact, the scene Daryl shooting Rick's gun at the red fire extinguisher blowing it up is a remix.

We have Rick on the bridge, facing the herd of walkers. Daryl, below the bridge, shooting arrows to keep the walkers at bay. Michonne, Carol and Maggie are all running to try to get to Rick. There are several frames breaking back and forth between Rick and the different groups of people. 

The frame above is the last one before it breaks away to the others and comes back with Rick shooting. Look closely at his forehead. There is a circle of blood on the opposite side of where Beth was shot.

When the camera comes back on Rick after breaking away, there is no longer a spot of blood on his forehead. It's disappeared as mysteriously as it had appeared.

When I saw Pamela with her pearls and thought of the RB, I never dreamed that I would find so many connections to red fire extinguishers, Beth, Rick, Galadriel, Jadis and Daryl shooting Rick's gun.

I really do believe that they used the scenes in Still and WCA and remixed them for the shooting scene in Family, just as they have been remixing and reusing scenes from s4 and 5 throughout this s11C. 

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Love all your connections! I think you're spot on with them! I know we'd talked about ties between the golf club and the CW, especially back when Daryl saw the mural in the subway, but I hadn't thought about them in a long time, so I really like these. 

It will be interesting to see if Pamela dies in the final episode. And, if so, if there's any reaction from Daryl or TF. There really may not be one at all, but it will be interesting if there is.  

Anyway, great stuff. I think it all works together. While we can for sure tie RB to Pamela, because of the similar, RB walker with Jadis, we can also tie her (RB) to the CRM. So, I don't think RB at the golf club foreshadowed Pamela, per se. I think, as you said, it's a foreshadow of the CRM war and Beth's involvement there. But I also think Pamela and the CW are a foreshadow of what comes next, which is also the CRM war. So, it all works together.

[angelthefirst1]

Jesus/Beth and the Crossroads/Animal trap

Jesus/Beth and the Crossroads/Animal trap

Are the same story going different directions.

9:08 and all of 9b is Beth’s Story repeated, merged and going the other way let me explain.

First we need to go back to 9:08 where we see Jesus (opposite Beth) plus Daryl and Arron out looking for Eugene (Eugene being the original Washington DC cure man and Beth with her Washing DC spoon links the two of them as proxies in these next scenes.

Eugene even has long hair with a braid and a leg injury

But lets start with Jesus, Daryl and Arron coming across a herd in a field while looking for Eugene.

The herd is roaming in circles and behaving strangely. (Beth's story which I believe the herd signifies and will be demonstrated as we go)

Daryl throws an alarm clock that has a happy clown 🤡 face on it, to distract the herd so they can get away. Once at a safe distance,the camera focuses on the clock with the alarm going off drawing the walkers.

It reads 1:07 but it also has 2 second hands which read 9:12 not sure what the  numbers represent but the two sets of clock hands on top of each other represent the two stories on top of each other - Jesus’s/whisperer story and Beth’s Grady story which is reinforced by the dialogue coming up.

This clock is the time piece that sets the two stories on a collision course and Daryl is the one who sets it off.

Jesus asks Daryl "You put that herd at 140?" (Story or herd number 1)

Daryl: "Yeah"

Jesus: "Looks like more than double that now" (Story doubled)

Arron: "Could be a different herd, one merged with another one" (different story line merged with another one... doubled) Jesus’s Story and Beth’s together.

Daryl "Ain't gonna be there very long, no matter how big it is...  As long as it's going the other way"

The repeat of Beth's story won't take long but its a big story.

9a has pretty much repeated all the main themes of her story but going the other way.

The clock going off while Jesus stares ominously at it (not a good sign for Jesus) and Daryl saying the "doubled herd, or two stories that merged together but now going the other way" is hopefully going to end in her being revealed alive at some stage during the Whisperer story just as Jesus Died at the start of it.

I believe this is the point that Jesus's story and Beth's story collide, from Still to Alone when she first went missing,Grady and after, all merge and start going in opposite directions.

And Daryl just set off the timer to start it going the other way.

Jesus dies at the start of a new story line (the Whisperers) in 9:08

Let's look at Jesus's story in 9b VS Beth's story.

Jesus and Beth suddenly, unexpectedly killed by an outside group (opposite ends of the story)

Daryl shoots both responsible parties in the head. The whisperer that stabbed Jesus, and he shoots Dawn In the head.

Jesus's body however gets brought back to Hilltop where Michonne says "it's good you could bring his body back to bury, and give the people closure" (infuriating for Beth fans right)

Beth's story is going the other way so her events go back to before Jesus was killed and they are looking for Eugene who is the Beth proxy in the following scenes:

Before reading the next scenes understand that the two stories merging require two Beth proxies and two Daryl proxies.

Beth’s Story going backwards = Eugene/ Life,

Going forwards = Jesus/Death

So when you see their names’ think backwards Beth story for Eugene or Forward for Jesus.

Daryl and Arron the same thing applies but Arron = backwards story, Daryl = forwards... until a little later on at the crossroads scene where Daryl does something that flips his and Arron’s positions.

 So 

Daryl, Arron and Jesus find Eugene who has a dislocated knee...

Now that we have the 4 players needed to tell the two stories, they start to go in the different directions.

Arron asks "are you alright?" (just like Daryl did when Beth steps in the trap)

Eugene: "I took a bad step and dislocated my knee, there was a herd on our six and Rosetta was forced to stash me here"

Eugene being found with a leg injury and all four proxies together means the story separates from this point on in different directions. It puts both Beth proxies at the point where she got stuck in the trap and hurt her ankle in front of the walker that had a police badge (as pictured above) and just before Grady. Eugene's story is going backwards to Still, and Jesus’s Story will go forward to Grady where he dies)

Daryl: "If it's just dislocated we can pop it back in" (Beth stuck at Grady, Daryl is sure he can pop her back into his group, get her back)

Eugene: "No the herd (or Beth's story) that followed us here and is on the way back, it's already been through twice its looking for me"

The herd then comes to the barn where they found Eugene, Daryl looks at it and says "No way that's the same herd".

They run with the herd following them and come to a crossroad's with a car.

Look familiar... this crossroads is HUGH implication wise, its a mix between the crossroads where Daryl loses Beth after alone and the car in Still they hide in, and also a representation of what happens after Grady.

We see Jesus and Daryl helping Eugene who is struggling to walk and they come from the same direction in the crossroads that Daryl came when running after Beth.

Eugene rests on the hood of the car. As apposed to Beth and Daryl hiding in the boot in Still.

It then shows Arron who is in the woods behind the crossroads, looking at the herd coming toward him through the trees and runs back to the others the same way Beth and Daryl ran out of the woods and onto the road with the car in Still.

The next part is callbacks to Still and Alone dialogue (backwards story) and forward story line about Beth's s brain being alive after being shot.

Eugene makes the case that the walkers are evolving even though they are dead, the brain is alive and if the brain is alive it can change (Beth "I wish I could just change")

Eugene: “Maybe even start to remember things too, like how to talk”

(Beth “i remember, when that little girl came out of the barn”)

Daryl: shocked "what?"

Jesus: it's not any crazier than the dead being alive in the first place, if they can learn to talk maybe they can learn strategies and how to hunt" (when Beth and Daryl finally started talking in Still, that led to him teaching Beth and her learning how to track and hunt which results in the forward story of stepping in the trap, where they just came from)

It’s at this point Arron comes running saying "they're right on our asses we gotta go, we gotta get to the horses fast" (horses/cars) in Still they got in the trunk. After Grady... well who knows but they seem to be trying to tell us she gets left in the car.

Eugene says while sitting on the car: "You have to leave me behind i’m slowing you down"

I remember back to Still and the look Daryl gave Beth after they get out the trunk and start to walk off, reminded me of this, like Beth felt if she was slowing him down or holding him back cos he looked at her like she was weak.

Jesus: (forward Beth) "what? No we came out here to find you"(me thinks Beth will be a tad annoyed she gets left behind after Grady)

Eugene: "You don't have a choice"

Jesus: "The numbers actually work for us we can split up (2 stories going different ways), you two get him back to the horses. I'll lead them off.

Daryl: "No, if anyone stays it's going to be me, heck I'll probably beat you back to Hilltop anyway" (Here Daryl flips his and Arron's stories as i mentioned earlier, Daryl now becomes the forward story and Arron the backward one. It was meant to end with Jesus leading the herd off and simply ending Beth's forward story but now Daryl has made a switch a move that changes the story, he possibly did something to keep Beth's body from the herd in the forward story line by being the one that stays with her body and he was also the one to set off the alarm clock which made the 2 merged stories (herds) go the other way.

So the 2 Beth's and Back story Daryl (Arron) head out together while forward Daryl and dog goes down the fork in the road where he separates from Arron Jesus and Eugene.

This is amazing because now we have forward story Daryl on his own (No Beth proxy, shes gone in a different direction, its just him with dog)

Jesus, Arron and Eugene leave the crossroads in the opposite direction they came in from while Daryl with his dog takes the fork in the road. (Referencing, that direction is the road that would lead to the Claimers aka Negan and all the story lines that Beth has been missing from since) 

Daryl stops just down this road and tries to get the now passing (doubled) herd which is heading in the same direction as the others, to come his way by lighting fire crackers and getting dog to bark. The herd (story) starts to come his way (which would lead to a repeat of what has already happened with the claimers/Negan and Beth staying missing) but due to the whisperers in the story line combining with the old story it unexpectedly changes direction again and keeps following the others. Daryl is shocked.

We then see Arron, Jesus and Eugene in a foggy grave yard. (Grady)

The story has gone forward to Grady for Jesus because the herd (story) changed direction.

This is where he gets unexpectedly killed by an enemy group.

9:09 we see Jesus get the Burial that Beth Didn't, which should have been in 5:09

Jesus is now dead and the events will play out step by step but backwards from Grady

If we keep going we will keep seeing the backwards story of Beth and Daryl, using different characters to tell it.

Next in Jesus's story line but prior in Beth's, both stories show each side taking hostages from the enemy camp.

Jesus's story line:

Daryl and Michonne kill one whisperer and take Lyida hostage.

At Grady the group killed one cop and took 2 hostage into trade for Beth and Carol.

Next in Jesus's story but prior in Beth's, The whisperers take Luke and Alden hostage (at Grady Carol, Beth)

Next: at Hilltop Henry (another Beth proxy) befriends Lydia (who is a Noah and then Daryl proxy depending on the scene), as its moving backwards it starts with Lydia = Noah as both are prisoners, Henry locked up for drinking. (Beth befriends Noah at Grady)

Once Henry is let out of the cell the Lydia proxy changes to Daryl. And they start a romantic relationship as its going backwards.

In one of my old posts i used this image which has plagued me.

: = Repeat, music sign 6131 GH (Grady hospital) i always felt this story would repeat backwards and now it is finally! but it’s now happened in 9b

  This is already a massive post and i have only just started to scratch the surface, go re-watch 9:08 if you can because you will see how much this makes sense.

In between the scenes i have talked about above you also have Henry scenes of him getting drunk and killing the walker that the other teenagers are abusing

So we have Still themes repeated, which leads to Daryl and Beth talking, or Henry and Lydia talking because Henry gets locked up with her because of the drinking, and as Eugene said the talking leads to the tracking and hunting lessons which lead to the trap, in Lydia and Henry’s case it led to her dealing with the issues of abuse from her mother and changing)

Then there are Negan (=Beth) scenes which i believe is Beth’s forward story proxy.

Locked in his cell he gets out, Steals Judith's compass (Judith =Dawn) Judith lets him go after debating weather to shoot him or not and says keep the compass you'll need it to find your way home there is nothing out there for you. Its repeating Dawn telling Beth they always come back and Negan does end up coming back voluntarily which may point to Beth going back to Grady after getting shot and being left i a car.

It’s very possible that the Grady people follow the group after they leave with Beth's body (if she is in someway connected to a cure story, which i’m still not ruling out.

Doc Edwards might demand they go get her body back asap as even dead she could be valuable

Once the herd causes Daryl and co leave, the Grady cops find her and bring her back for treatment realizing she is alive. But she is now a repeat prisoner at Grady and valuable she will have to escape again. Obviously what happens after to Beth is just guesses at this point but it seems to already be hidden in the story (you just gotta know how to read it)

I might try and continue more before the season 9 final, because i feel like she may make an appearance in a coda like Morgen did at the end of 5:08 where he was completely covered in a mask and thick long clothing, the snow in the final would suit this happening again, then as she takes the mask off.

Boom Beth's alive!!!  

[tortuga-aak]

A celebrity chef reveals how a mundane chore from his dad turned into a powerful career lesson

AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz

Before he won two Michelin stars, before he owned 26 restaurants, and before he became known for introducing Americans to tapas, José Andrés was the boy in charge of tending the fire.

It wasn't something he enjoyed doing — though looking back now, he sees how it helped launch his career as a celebrity chef.

On an episode of Business Insider's podcast, "Success! How I Did It," Andrés shared the story with Business Insider US editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell:

"My father would cook, and he would cook paella, the Spanish dish that is becoming world famous. And he would make big paellas for 50, 100 people at times. He would make it over open fire, and he would always put me in charge of helping him with the fire. But I wanted to cook, I wanted to stir the pot, I wanted to put the spoon in. And he never let me. 'You gather the wood; you make the fire.'

"It was a complicated thing. At times, you needed this low fire, at times a very heavy fire, and at times you had to make room underneath, then take all the charcoal away. And I was very young doing that, and I became very good at it. And then he came and told me, 'My son, I don't know if you realized, but you've been doing the most important thing, something nobody else could do like you, and you want to learn to cook. I get it. But you need to control the fire. Learn to control the fire, and you'll be able to cook anything.'"

Listen to the episode below. Or listen later via Apple Podcasts or RadioPublic (works on iOS and Android). 

   This wasn't what the teenage Andrés wanted to hear. But as an adult, he gets where his father was coming from. In a story titled "Boiling Point," included in the 2006 collection "How I Learned to Cook" and reprinted on NPR, Andrés wrote:

"Now that I'm a grown man, I know that he was [right]. I've been cooking — not just making the fire — for twenty years, and I understand that every inglorious step, from the most rudimentary chopping and prepping to cleaning up at the end of the night, is important. And that in order to reach the point where you get to be the one stirring the paella, you've got to master each step along the way."

In the interview with Shontell, Andrés drew a parallel between learning to cook and becoming an expert at anything:

"This, to me, is a very powerful story because it's beyond cooking. It's a story that goes on exactly who we are, where we want to go, where we come from, and sometimes we want to do the cooking, but we don't know what the heck is our fire. I always ask myself, 'What's my fire today?' Then the cooking is so simple."

NOW WATCH: Chef José André reveals why he bailed on Trump's International Hotel in DC, and what it's like to sue the president

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